Family of Honor
by kdip4014
Summary: Arizona's family comes to Seattle and comes to the hospital.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Family of Honor

Summary: Arizona's family comes to the hospital for a visit.

Disclaimer: Would I be writing here if I actually owned them? Not mine, sadly never will be.

Note: So, when I found out that Veteran's Day fell on a Thursday this year, the thought struck me... that would be the PERFECT episode in which to introduce Arizona's family! Especially the family that I have created for them. This does not in anyway fall in line with my Muddy Buddy series, as you will quickly discover.

* * *

"Alright, Torres is here, that's everyone." Owen Hunt calls everyone's attention in the ambulance bay outside the ER of the hospital. "We've got several ambulances coming in and we're going to need all hands on deck. A limo was hit by a semi. The driver of the semi is going to Seattle Presbyterian; we're getting the family he hit. Eight adults, one child; most of the injuries, I'm told are scrapes and cuts that may need sutures, but we're giving each of them a full work-up, Drs. Grey, they're yours. One of the adults took the brunt of the accident, paramedics say it looks like he broke most, if not all, bones on his right side… Torres, he's yours. Another looks to have a brain bleed, Shepherd, she's yours." Hunt consults his notes before continuing on. "Another had a tender abdomen, Bailey, that's yours; she's also got some minor burns, Sloan, take a look at them quickly. Another has second degree burns that paramedics say cover 40% of his body along with several shrapnel wounds. I'll take him, Sloan, come see me when you're done with Bailey. Then there's a broken arm – Torres, pick a resident," Callie points out Avery, who nods acknowledgement.

"Final adult had minor cuts, she was on the opposite end of the car, along with the child. Has Doctor Robbins been reached yet?" The nurse he's speaking to shakes her head no, prompting Owen to look to Callie.

"She's got family in town, normally when that happens, she turns her phone off."

"I'll take the kid," Alex speaks up. Owen nods his head, knowing that the young resident is being groomed for peds by Arizona.

"Her father reports she's got a heart condition, Christina, you're with Karev. Teddy, I need you to help me keep everything organized, go where you're needed." Everyone nods acceptance as the first ambulance pulls up. Owen opens the door and Callie rushes forward as she realizes this patient is hers. She quickly realizes that he'll need surgery, but still sends an intern off to order films.

The ambulances arrive one after the other and each doctor takes their patient off to a room to run tests and treat until only Karev and Christina are left. The sight of the ambulance pulling into the bay has Alex moving forward. Both doctors stop suddenly at the sight that greets them when the doors are opened.

"Dr. Robbins?"

"Hey guys," she accepts the hand offered by Alex while climbing down from the vehicle, her other arm clutched tightly around the child she's carrying. Once out, she releases Alex's hand, moving to sooth the child while following Alex into the ER and into an empty exam room. The girl refuses to relinquish her hold on Arizona's neck at first, but after a few soothing words, she releases her hold, but keeps close, burying herself into the blonde's side, clutching the too big jacket around her tiny body. At Arizona's warning glare, Alex takes a seat in front of the child, speaking softly.

"Hey, I'm Alex. That's a cool jacket," Arizona smiles at his attempt at soothing the child. "Are all those medals yours?" The jacket is a blue dress coat from a military uniform, but that's all Alex can identify.

"Mommy's," she speaks so softly, Alex has to strain to hear her, but he does hear her.

"Wow! Looks like your mom is a real hero," he slips on some gloves, reaching for his stethoscope, waiting until she relaxes before making any moves.

"She doesn't think so."

"Really? Okay. Why is this medal out of place?" He points to the gold medal hanging on the blue ribbon that's pinned to the lapel of the jacket.

"'Cause she just got it today."

"Okay, cool," once again, Arizona smiles, clearly Alex is running out of small talk to use to relax her and she steps in.

"Sarah, sweetie, why don't you take the jacket off so Alex can make sure that you aren't hurt anywhere," Sarah complies, handing Arizona the jacket once she's out. Christina quickly notices the cuts on the young girl's left arm, neck and face and goes to get a suture kit and something to clean the cuts with while Alex gives the girl a quick exam.

"Well, it looks like you're okay," he looks up and sees Arizona looking at him with a hand over her heart, questioning how Sarah's heart sounded. He nods quickly, letting her know that Sarah's heart sounded okay. "We're gonna get all the cuts cleaned and stitched up now, okay?" At Sarah's nod, he looks to his boss, quickly checking her over. Christina comes in with a tray and a couple suture kits, not knowing if the blond needed any. While Alex takes care of Sarah, Christina looks over Arizona.

"Are you okay?" She's shocked at the uncharacteristic caring tone coming from the young resident but quickly schools her features.

"Yeah, I'm good, Christina, thanks."

"You've got some blood on your arm, is it yours?" She twists her arm around, trying to look for the blood Christina mentioned. As soon as she spots the cut the blood is flowing from, the pain of the cut hits her.

"Ah, yeah, looks like it." Christina moves around to the opposite side of the bed to get a closer look.

"That looks pretty bad, want me to get Sloan?"

"You saying you can't handle a few sutures, Yang?"

"I can, I'm saying that's a bad cut and I might leave a scar."

"It's fine, just do your best."

"Okay, let me go get you a top to wear over it once I'm done." While Christina is off getting her things, Arizona holds Sarah's hand while Alex numbs the areas for sutures. Watching the young resident, she's a little thankful for his previous interest in plastics. His attention to the cuts and the sutures are precise; any scarring she'll have will be nearly invisible. Alex is placing the last bandage over the last cut when Christina returns, handing her the scrub top to cover herself with while she helps the attending out of her dress. Alex averts his gaze and moves to get up, but is stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking down, he sees Sarah gazing up at him.

"Can you go check on my mommy and daddy?" She gives him a soft, pleading smile, revealing a single dimple in her left cheek. In that moment, he takes a quick second to take in the child he just worked on. There's something oddly familiar about her that he overlooked when she first came in. Her hair is a dark brown – nearly black – that makes her pale skin look paler and her green eyes seem brighter. He suddenly remembers something from a college psychology course on perception and finally gets the lesson, despite it being nearly a decade after taking the course, but he quickly returns his attention to the young girl.

"Sure thing." Sarah grins brightly at him, revealing a dimple in her opposite cheek and Alex is taken aback, looking between the young girl and his boss, who takes pity on him and diverts the attention of the young girl.

"Sarah, sweetie, he can't check on them if you don't let go of his arm."

"Right, Auntie Zona," that pauses the two doctors in the room. Christina and Alex exchange quick glances, realizing that the rest of the people brought in are Arizona's family.

* * *

"Hey, Alex," he turns to see Teddy approaching him, Lexie not far behind.

"Hey, everything looks good in there. The kid just had a couple scratches. Most were superficial, I stitched up the ones that weren't."

"Okay,"

"Hey," Lexie approaches them. "So, our patients want to know how everyone else is doing. They seem pretty anxious, and I think letting them know that everyone is okay might calm them down."

"Especially the mom," Bailey approaches. "She's got a ruptured spleen that needs to come out and she won't go into surgery until she finds out how her kid and husband are doing."

"I just checked in on her husband," Teddy enters in, "Mark is looking over his burns, they look bad."

"What about the others?"

"Everything okay here?" Owen approaches the group, shedding his trauma covering as he approaches the group.

"Yeah, it just seems like every member of the family wants to know how the others are doing," Teddy answers him. Owen looks to each person for their answers.

"Kid's fine," Alex comments, "and Christina is stitching up her aunt right now."

"The two youngest look good, one was complaining of a head ache, but his neuro exam was fine, but Shepherd told us to get a CT scan to be sure." Lexie updates Owen.

"Well, if they're okay, I've got to get the mom into surgery," Bailey walks off, leaving Teddy to update Owen.

"Mom had a ruptured spleen, her husband is getting taken care of by Mark now, Callie sent her father up to surgery, and Derek just went in, it looks like the mom had a frontal lobe bleed that was putting pressure on her left optic nerve. I was just about to check up on Avery and his patient."

"He looks okay," Avery approaches, looking at some x-rays, handing them off to Owen when he asks for them. "Clean break to both bones in the forearm, I'm about to set the arm and wrap it up. He was asking about everyone else in his family though."

"Close knit group here," Teddy comments. "His parents are in surgery, as is his sister, but his brother-in-law, sisters, brother and niece are going to be fine."

"There's one more thing," Alex speaks up, looking between everyone. "The family… it's Arizona's."

"Okay, that doesn't change anything," Owen remains calm after a moment's hesitation. "Was Arizona in the car?" He suddenly realizes that they hadn't been able to reach the peds surgeon and is worried.

"She's fine, Christina is stitching her up now." His comment is reinforced as Arizona exits the room behind him.

"Hey, guys. How's everyone else doing?"

"Fine," Owen doesn't say more, despite her silent pleads. "You know that we can't say anymore."

"Yes, you can, Owen. I'm family, it's allowed," Alex takes pity on his boss, answering her pleadings.

"They're going to be fine. But your parents are on their way into surgery, along with your sister."

* * *

Oh yeah, I haven't actually finished this fic yet, but I REALLY wanted to get it up before the 11/11 episode. So be patient with me, I'll get it all up eventually. And if there's anything that ya'll would like to see happen in this fic, let me know and I'll do my best to oblige!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Family of Honor

Summary: Arizona's family comes to the hospital for a visit.

Disclaimer: Would I be writing here if I actually owned them? Not mine, sadly never will be.

Note: So, I thought it best to put something of a family tree in here, just to give you an idea of who's who. I also took a gander to Arizona's age to help with the ages of her siblings. And then for some I used actual actors/actresses to give you an idea of what they'd look like (it actually does help me to write the character!) though maybe with a few minor changes like eye color... sometimes it does happen while I'm writing and not thinking much... though I must now stop my ramblings before I give away all the secrets to what makes my writing so awesome :P

Daniel Robbins – 68 (R. Lee Ermy)

Katherine Grant – Robbins – 56 (Kate Caphsaw (I tried coming up with someone else, honest! I even considered using Christie Brinkley, but in the end... who better to play Arizona's mother than JC's mother?))

Danny junior – would be 37 (Adam Baldwin). Married to Colleen, 35 (Christina Hendricks). They have a 12 year old daughter, Kate (Hallie Kate Eisenberg), named for his mother.

Arizona – 35

Emerson – 29 (Rachel McAdams). Married to Jacob Haswari (Rudolf Martin), 39; two children, 6 year old, Sarah, 6 month old, Eli.

Brandon – 28; (Zachary Levi)

James – 21 (Will Estes)

Lea – 21 (Diana Agron)

* * *

"You have got to see this," as soon as Callie exits the scrub room, she's dragged away by Mark Sloan.

"Can it wait? I've got to get my patient to post-op and start monitoring him.

"Lexie's taking care of his post-op care; you _really_ have to see this."

"Fine," she allows herself to be dragged down the hall, continuing on with the conversation. "Did you see my guy's uniform? Owen checked in with me during my surgery and gave me the rundown. The guy's a hardcore hero; he's served in every international conflict our nation has served in since Korea."

"Good to know," Mark stops them outside of an ICU room, turning to his friend while she rambles on.

"I mean the guy has seven Purple Hearts, that's _seven_ injuries sustained in combat. And that's just one individual award… he's got even more awards for valor, including two Navy Crosses and two Silver Stars… Why are we here?" She finally stops, and Mark uses his hand to turn her head towards the room, and it takes her a moment to come to grips with the view she's faced with. Lying on the bed is a woman she's never seen, and she quickly takes in the monitors before her gaze strays to the figure in the chair at her bedside. It takes a moment before she recognizes the figure of her girlfriend seated in the chair. She's wearing a pair of scrubs and has her arms around a tiny figure in her lap. Seated in her lap, sleeping, is a young girl that looks to be no more than six, with dark curls and a pale complexion. Her head is tucked neatly under Arizona's chin while the blond strokes her head soothingly.

"That's a good look on her." Callie nods silently at Mark's assessment. She can't seem to take her eyes off the vision of Arizona with a child in her arms.

She's brought out of her musings by a soft cough coming from the side and the pair turns toward the young man standing before them. His dark pants are torn and dirty, his tie loosened around his neck, and his white dress shirt is torn and bloody – likely from the cut over one of his blue eyes or the cut curling around the lobe of his ear under his dark blond hair – and his jacket is slung over his arm.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am, sir," he motions towards the room they're staring into, "I need to get into that room."

"Of course," Callie glances into the room, moving her gaze between the woman in the bed and her girlfriend before returning her attention to the young man standing before her. "You're James." She finally starts putting the pieces together.

"Yes, ma'am. I do wish that we'd been able to meet under better circumstances… not shortly after you'd completed your operation on my father. Speaking of: Is he alright?"

"He's… uh, he's being moved into post-op as we speak, and I've got a resident watching over him."

"But he made it through the surgery?"

"Yes." James relief is evident.

"Good, thank you. Uh… may I?" He motions to the door once again. "I need to relieve Arizona with Sarah."

"Sure," the pair separates, allowing him past them, watching as he kneels before the blonde, gently slipping his arms under the child, relieving his sister of her burden, and taking her seat as she gets up.

Arizona stretches out her back as she makes her way to the door. Callie steps aside to let her past, noticing that Mark has slipped away to leave the couple alone.

"Hey," Arizona leans back against the sliding door to her sister's room, sighing at Callie's greeting.

"Hi," she smiles softly at the brunette, slipping into her embrace at the silent request. "So Bailey says that she's going to be alright; she had to have her spleen removed, and there was some damage to her small bowel that she repaired."

"Your dad is going to be alright, too. He's got a long road of physical therapy ahead of him, but he'll be fine." Arizona groans softly at that news. "What's wrong?" Callie questions, concerned.

"He's always been a nightmare after an injury – especially one that requires physical therapy. I've been around for two of them. I'm so thankful that they live in DC." The two women smile at her statement.

"Question?" Arizona leans back to look into the taller woman's gaze.

"Shoot."

"Why – if they live in DC – was the ceremony held in Seattle? Isn't DC like the military capitol of the nation? There are tons of places to choose from to hold an award ceremony. Why here?"

"Dad's first Navy Cross… he was stationed on the Kitty Hawk when the nomination came through – and he was still on board when the Marines decided to hold the ceremony. And Danny – our brother – he was stationed off the Kitty Hawk when he received his Cross nomination as well. That was Emma's one request – she wanted the ceremony to be held on board the Kitty Hawk. And as she's going through decommissioning at Fort Bremerton, it had to be held here in Seattle.

"How's the rest of my family?"

"They're doing alright, I think."

"James said that Lea is in with mom – she had a brain bleed, where's Brandon?"

"Clean break to the forearm, but I don't know where he is."

"And Jacob?" Callie is prevented from answering as a woman approaches them, carrying an infant and followed by a young girl with her dark hair and bright blue eyes.

"Arizona! Have you heard anything?" She pulls away from Callie's embrace to take the infant from the woman's arms, holding the child close. Callie stands by silently, allowing the two women to converse, watching the blond with the child. He has the same dark curls as the child in the room behind her, and he rests in the blonde's arms just as easily as the older girl did. He was momentarily fussy when he was switched from one embrace to the other, but calmed down quickly with a few quiet soothing words from the blond. The young girl stands by, before moving into the room Arizona just exited. Callie watches her take the chair on the opposite side of the bed, settling in to read the book she pulled from her bag.

Callie looks down at the sound of her pager to read the tiny screen, silently holding it up to her girlfriend before heading off to respond to the page.

* * *

"Hey," Callie smiles at the floor nurse that paged her, before she can ask why she was needed, she feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to see her mother and father standing behind her. Immediately her mother pulls her into a hug and it takes Callie a second to respond. As soon as she's released, her father pulls her into one as well, releasing her much quicker than her mother did.

"Hi! What- what are you two doing here?"

"Well, I got tired of your father telling me how amazing Arizona is and thought it was time that I found out for myself. He won't admit it, but he missed the two of you and wanted to see you both again."

"Right. I wish that you would have called ahead, today really isn't a good day."

"Is everything alright?" Sophia Torres takes note of the serious face her daughter is sporting an immediately goes into her 'Mom mode'.

"Fine… sort of… It's just a crazy day." They are interrupted by James, who speaks up softly.

"Excuse me, Dr. Torres,"

"You can call me, Callie, James." She smiles at the young man.

"Yes, ma'am, Callie. Um," he looks between her and her parents before hesitantly continuing on. "Colleen was asking about everyone, and Arizona doesn't think that it would be prudent of her to check herself, given the situation, and since you're the only doctor that we're on a first name basis with, I was hoping that you could get a status update on everyone for us."

"I'd be happy to. Just give me one moment."

"Yes, Ma'am." He walks off to the side to give her a bit of privacy. Callie turns back to her parents to find that they're staring after James in curiosity.

"There was an accident today involving Arizona and her family, they're all patients here today. That's her youngest brother. I need to go and check up on everyone for them."

"Of course, dear." Sophia looks after the young man before reaching out to drag her husband away. "You give us a call if you need anything, we'll be staying at the Archfield."

"Thanks," she sees them onto the elevator before joining James at the foot of the stairs. "Your timing is impeccable, James."

"Thank you?" He looks to her confused.

"My parents like to pop in with little warning, this time it was with no warning. Then again," she pulls her phone out of her pocket and finds a missed call from her parents from 10 hours previous, just after she'd gone into surgery with Daniel Robbins. "No, they did give me warning, I was just two hours into your father's surgery and couldn't reply."

"Well then, I'm glad that I could be of service." The two are silent for a moment while they make their way back towards Emerson's room.

"I must admit, Arizona didn't make you sound quite so… demure, when she was telling me about you." He motions to his attire while answering.

"It may be ruined, Callie, but I am technically still in uniform and must conduct myself as such."

"Right. I'm not totally familiar with how all that works out."

"Stick around, we'll be happy to educate you." He flashes her a grin that is strongly reminding of Arizona's, and Callie can't help but smile back.

"Alright, why don't you stay here with your sisters while I go and find out how everyone is doing. I'll even see what I can do about getting everyone in rooms next to each other so you don't have to move so far when everyone gets out of surgery."

"Yes, ma'am."


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Family of Honor

Summary: Arizona's family comes to the hospital for a visit.

Disclaimer: Would I be writing here if I actually owned them? Not mine, sadly never will be.

So, this is the last piece that I have written in advance. I'll hopefully be sitting vigil by a hospital bedside in the next day or two (that is good news, promise! My sister is due any day now and as the only one not steadily employed, I'll likely be sitting bedside while she curses the day my brother was born :P ), so I'll have plenty of time to write and hopefully I should get more up soon. Just be patient! For those faithful few, I'll get it done and up soon!

* * *

"Okay," Callie looks up from her chart as she enters Emerson's room, noticing that there are a few extra people standing around now. A few of them are in full uniform and even Callie can recognize their rank – or at least enough to know that they are not people to be messed with. The man that steps forward first has three gold stripes and an additional thicker stripe on his sleeves and commands attention without saying a word.

"Please tell us that everyone in the family is alright, ma'am." His tone is surprisingly soft and Callie looks to Arizona for permission to continue. At the soft nod from the blonde, she looks back to the man for introductions before continuing. Arizona steps up for that.

"Callie, this is Admiral Charles Blankenship. He and my father are old friends, and he's godfather to Danny and I. You can tell him anything; as well as the rest," she waves her hand, including the rest of the men and women in the room. "They're all family."

"Alright. Colonel Robbins came through surgery alright, but he hasn't woken up yet. He's going to be in some serious pain when he does, so we're going to keep him in a drug induced coma for a few days while he recovers from the worst of his injuries. Shepherd was in with your mother at the moment, but Meredith said that it all went well and she should be waking up anytime now. Jacob is in the burn unit being treated for second and third degree burns, and Jackson is finishing up putting a hard cast on Brandon's arm. He had a clean break to both bones of his forearm, and the swelling just decreased enough to get a hard cast on. Emerson – as you can see – has been weaned off the ventilator, but we're still keeping her out medically because of her own burns. Overall, I'd say this whole family was extremely lucky."

"Thank you, Callie – is it?"

"Yes, sir; Callie Torres." After shaking her hand, the Admiral turns his gaze to Arizona with a smirk rather unbecoming of the uniform he's wearing.

"Well, Arizona, I can certainly understand your desire to keep her to yourself." While the siblings surrounding her chuckle softly, Arizona turns red in embarrassment. Before she can comment, a voice from behind Callie speaks.

"Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that every other girlfriend she's brought home has been scared off in less than 24 hours by us." Callie turns to see a blonde she recognizes from photos as the youngest Robbins. Lea Robbins has got much the same coloring as Arizona, the exception of moss green eyes rather than blue, but her body is leaner and less curvy, hinting to the hours spent on the soccer field, and her complexion is a bit darker, mentioning of her hours spent sailing on the Atlantic. She's been given a pair of scrubs to change into out of her ruined uniform, and in her arms she's got a pair of scrubs for her brothers also. One she places on the bedside table while the other she hands to her twin.

James disappears behind the curtain pulled around the bedside to quickly change. When he returns, he's got his ruined uniform balled up and he quickly stuffs it into the same bag Lea stuffed hers into, though they both keep their jackets hanging separate by the bathroom.

"Well, seeing as Callie has stared down a crazy man with a gun for Arizona, I'm certain that she'd be able to stare down three crazy Robbins' with ease." James smiles quickly towards the ortho surgeon still standing at the door, who quickly returns the grin before turning toward the younger blonde Robbins.

"Let's just state now, Lea: I have no intention of ever letting Arizona go again, so, do your worst, I dare you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh no." Arizona groans softly at Callie's comment. The last time that a woman said that to her younger sister, the woman hadn't even lasted another hour with the family. Lea immediately gets a Cheshire cat grin and leisurely looks Callie up and down, taking measure of her on sight, mentally cataloguing what she may and may not be able to handle.

"Oh, we'll see about that." From there she goes silent and picks up Sarah, taking a seat and settling her niece on her lap, flipping through the book the child had been looking through.

"What did I miss?" This time the person standing in the doorway is a guy; tall enough that Callie has to crane her head back to take in the dark hair and twinkling green eyes gazing down on her. He smiles at her, revealing the dimple in his left cheek and takes Callie's hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "I know I missed the introduction of this lovely lady. Brandon Robbins… and you are?"

"Callie Torres." Brandon freezes and immediately drops her hand, retracting his own subtly curls them in in disgust. James, Lea and Arizona clearly want to laugh out loud at his reaction, but they all hold it in due to the large number of flag officers present in the room.

"I take it this isn't the first time that you've hit on one of Arizona's girlfriends?"

"This isn't the first time he's hit on one of his sibling's girlfriends." James speaks up from his post where he's cradling the sleeping six month old Eli to his chest.

"If I spot a pretty lady, I have to put it out there." Callie turns from Brandon to face Arizona, raising an eyebrow silently posing the question. Arizona merely nods sharply, leading Callie to turn back to the younger Robbins.

"You're like a younger version."

"Thank you?" Brandon is confused by the comparison that Callie is making between him and the – to him – unknown person that is Mark Sloan. "Is that bad?"

"It all depends on how you use your powers, B." Arizona speaks up, going silent when Derek enters the room. Everyone follows her lead, looking toward the new doctor. Derek steps aside to allow Mark to enter the room behind him.

"Good morning, everyone," Derek looks around, stopping briefly on each of the people he doesn't know before settling his gaze on Arizona, silently questioning the presence of the extra people. Once again, the blonde allows the doctors to speak freely to everyone present.

"Alright. I'm Derek Shepherd, I was Katherine's surgeon." He looks to the three siblings and one in law sitting to one side. "Your mother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that put pressure on her optic nerve. I went in and removed the pressure and it looks like she's going to be fine. We've weaned her off the ventilator and we're still waiting for her to wake up, but it looks like she's going to be just fine." He steps aside to let Mark step forward for his update.

"Jacob's burns are… he's got burns over nearly half of his body, most are second degree, and they should heal with little problems. But he's got one particularly nasty burn on his left hand and forearm – I'm told it's from when he tried to pull the driver from the car," he receives acknowledging nods from the three siblings that were present at the crash scene. "He'll likely need skin grafts, but I expect him to make a full recovery and regain full use of his hand.

"Now, Emerson here… Dr. Grey saw to her burns while she was having surgery on her abdomen and I got a look at them at the time as well, they look to be minor, but we'll keep her out for at least another 24 hours to allow her a little time to sleep through the worst of the pain of them."

"What about Dad?" Lea speaks up, sounding uncharacteristically unconfident, so unlike the woman that teased Callie earlier. Callie steps up to answer that question.

"He broke just about every bone on his right side and he will set off every metal detector that he passes through from now on, he has so much titanium holding his bones together, but barring any complications, he should make a full recovery. I'm recommending that he be kept in a medically induced coma for the next few days so that he doesn't attempt to OD on pain meds or go crazy from the pain trying to tough it out on his own."

"Thank you," Admiral Blankenship speaks up. "He's a nightmare after injuries because he refuses to take pain meds. He's been like that for as long as I've known him."

"And how long has that been?" Callie is genuinely curious. There's still so little about her girlfriend's family that she knows.

"I was head of the SEAL team that rescued him on his first combat mission in Korea 50 years ago. Really." He adds on at Callie's look of disbelief.

"It's just difficult to fathom, Arizona speaks so little of her family's military history. I only know the basics, no details."

"That's because we really only know the basics." Brandon speaks up from his post with Kate, their 12- year old niece that is sleeping in his lap. "We know the story of his father, but his own career? Not so much, he doesn't like talking about any of it."

"He told us a little bit, when we were accepted into Annapolis," Lea's voice is soft, guarded, like she's afraid to reveal too much. "And we know that he spoke with Danny and Emma about certain things after each of their tours. But he's usually pretty tight-lipped about his tours of duty."

"Mom doesn't even know most of the details." James cuts in. "Dad doesn't like burdening us with his demons. He'll only talk about them if he thinks that they'll help us over come our own, or if he thinks they'll help to prepare us for those in our future."

"Which you two hopefully won't have to deal with," Arizona stops the conversation from getting too morbid. "You both have at least five years of school left, hopefully by then there won't be anything left for you to see."

"I've got seven years beyond that, Z," James reminds his sister of the length of a surgical residency. He plans to become an orthopedic surgeon one day, and continue to work with the military.

"As do I," Lea agrees with her twin. "And even when I'm done, I likely won't be seeing any action. One: I'm a woman; two: I'll be designing prosthetics and such after I finish my Ph.D. That's not exactly a combat ready position."

"That's what Danny thought." Brandon quietly reminds them of their older brother. He was a Marine Judge Advocate that was sent in country two days before the explosion that led to his death. Fourteen years in the Marines – eleven as an officer – and he'd never been sent anywhere more dangerous than a carrier… in the middle of the Atlantic… on its return home. He smiles down at Kate, who has so much of her father in him; she's likely the one that will follow in the family firm – as it were – they all joked that she was destined for the Marines after being born on November 10.

"Well, you all should really go to your hotel and get some rest." Derek speaks up; he knows that the entire family – the ones that didn't spend the night in an OR – spent the night in an on-call room. "It's still going to be awhile before anyone wakes up, and even then it won't be for long. We can keep an eye on them."

"We've got blankets and plenty of floor space." Callie speaks up, offering hers and Arizona's place. "And it's right across the street, so you wouldn't be that far away if you need to get here quickly."

"Or you can use my place," Derek jumps in. "Everyone is on duty for the rest of the day and on call tonight, so the place would be empty. There's more than enough room for all of you and it would be much more comfortable than the floor at Callie's place. It might not be right across the street, but you could be back here in ten minutes if need be."

"How many doctors have you got living in your place?" Brandon speaks up, incredulous that everyone living at the neurosurgeon's home is a doctor.

"Myself, my wife, and three other fourth year residents – used to be four, but my wife's sister just moved back in with her boyfriend. So there are five beds and several couches that you can camp out on. April doesn't come on for another two hours, so I'll give her the heads up and she can get anything out that you may need – like extra blankets and pillows."

"We don't want to put you out, sir." James, ever respectful, is quick to decline.

"I'd take his offer. Every hotel in town is just about booked because of the Seattle Race Series this weekend." Admiral Blankenship jumps in with his two cents. "And the rooms that aren't taken by race participants are taken by the sailors and Marines that didn't fit into base housing."

"And what do we do tomorrow? When all of you are off duty and we're sleeping in your beds?" Lea, ever the logical one, speaks up.

"Well, we'll be home, resting, and I'm guessing all of you will be here, sitting by their bedsides." Derek reasons. "Look, we can figure it out. I've got four sisters and fourteen nieces and nephews, I am a _master_ at the bed shuffle game. We can figure it all out as the challenge is presented."

"In that case, sir," Brandon turns to Derek. "Thank you for the offer, we accept."

"I'll give April a call now. As for all of you… I'd go home if I were you. You all need some real rest and you certainly won't be getting it here. I'll make certain that your family members are looked after until tomorrow." Arizona is the first to rise to her feet.

"Come on, guys. There's nothing more that we can do here. Between the flights and the time differences and the early morning wake-up call and the crappy on-call room beds, you all must be dead on your feet. I know I am and I didn't have a long flight or jetlag or an early morning wake-up call _and_ I got to sleep in my own bed last night. So let's go. I'll lead you to Dr. Shepherd's place and get all of you set up for the night." Lea and James are about to protest, but a silent ordering glare from the Admiral silences them and they rise to their feet, she retrieves their uniforms while James keeps hold of Eli and the pair follows their sister out of the room. Colleen takes her daughter's hand and leads her out, while Brandon scoops Sarah off the bed she was resting on and carries her out after the rest of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Family of Honor

Summary: Arizona's family comes to the hospital for a visit.

Disclaimer: Would I be writing here if I actually owned them? Not mine, sadly never will be.

Ao, I learned that when you're sitting at the hospital bedside of your sister in law and you're given the option of working on fanfiction or holding your brand new niece, the baby wins out every time. Yes, I have a gorgeous new niece that is absolutely perfect in every way imaginable! So it took me a little longer than anticipated, but here is the next installment. And this one brings about the introduction of Aria Torres, who, in my mind, is played by Naya Rivera. Seriously, who out there doesn't think that she would be perfect for the part?

Oh yeah, and Medals4Mettle? That's a real not for profit. So if there are any running enthusiasts out there with some extra race medals out there sitting around the house that you want to get rid of, maybe you could consider donating them.

* * *

"Hey," Callie looks up from her post on the porch swing outside the Grey-Shepherd house, tucking her phone away in her purse as Arizona takes a spot next to her, draping her legs across her lap.

"Hey, everyone settled in?" She wraps her arms around the blonde, gently stroking her hair soothingly.

"Just about; James took my car back to their hotel to pick up the portable crib for Eli, he should be back soon."

"If they have rooms at a hotel, why are they staying here?" The blonde chuckles softly, she had asked them the same thing.

"They were planning on flying out last night; they were all supposed to be on the red eye home. So they kept everything in one hotel room and the plan was to grab their things and check out after the ceremony, but the rooms weren't promised until tomorrow, so once I called the hotel and explained the situation to them last night they let them keep their things in one room until today."

Callie hums in acknowledgement, gently rubbing a hand up and down Arizona's arm. On the second or third pass, her fingers get caught on the gauze covering the cut that Christina had stitched up. Sensing her hesitation, Arizona answers before the younger woman can ask.

"Jacob went in through the front windshield to try and get the driver out – we didn't know that he had been killed on impact – I saw gas leaking and reached in to pull him out, or at least to get his attention. Some of the glass was still in the frame. I figure that had to be when it happened, because Jacob and I looked over everyone once we had all gotten out and I was fine at the time."

"What kind of doctor is he?" Callie knew from one of their conversations that the blonde's brother in law was a doctor, but that talk had been interrupted by their pagers before it could continue.

"Hematology and Infectious diseases are what he practices, but he's certified in Trauma as well. What was your phone call about?" She changes the subject easily. She had come out onto the porch just before Callie had finished her call, but wasn't able to tell who she was talking to or what the call had been about.

"Aria and my parents are in town."

"James mentioned that. Is everything alright?"

"Fine. Mom wanted to meet you, so she dragged my dad out. Aria is in town to run in the race series this weekend."

"What event is she participating in?"

"The triathlon sprint on Friday and the marathon on Sunday."

"I don't know how long a sprint is, but that can't be easy to do a day apart."

"The sprint is a quarter-mile swim, 15 miles riding and 3 miles running; she does twice that daily. And she's no newcomer to marathons. She might only be 25, but she's done so many marathons and half marathons that mom took a ton of the ribbons from her medals and had them sewn together and made into a quilt. And some of the races she's done so many times that she keeps the first one, and donates every one after that."

"Donates them to what?"

"Medals4Mettle; it's an Indianapolis based not for profit that collects and distributes race medals to people battling illnesses. That was why mom decided to quilt together the ribbons. Medals4Mettle have custom ribbons that they attach to all their medals, so Aria kept hers when she donated her first bunch of medals. A year later she had a box of a few hundred ribbons, so Mama and Abuela sewed them all together and presented her with the blanket for her 21st birthday. There are certain series medals she's kept, but most she's given away."

"Which ones has she kept?"

"Well, she kept the three medals from the first time she did the Goofy Series. It's the Disney World races: a half marathon on Saturday where the medal is Mickey Mouse and a full marathon on Sunday where the medal is Donald Duck, and if you do both of them, then you get the Goofy Medal.

"Then she made a bet with a friend that she could do 50 marathons in 50 days – he didn't think that she could do it. Not only did she do it, but she lucked out and found a marathon in every state that was happening every day for 50 straight days. She kept all of those medals; they're hanging in her office behind her desk.

"But she's done the Miami Marathon every year since she was 15 and the Marine Corps Marathon five times, the Maui Marathon four times; she's done twelve different races internationally totaling 50 races, I think. So she keeps the medal from the first one, and then donates the rest. This will be the fourth time she's done the Seattle Marathon."

"And what does she do that allows her the time and provides the expenses to pay for all this?"

"She's an Athletic Trainer for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, and while that does pay enough to pay for all this, realize she's got a trust fund equal to mine."

"Right, so will you be taking this weekend off then?"

"I had it off anyways, remember? I'm working the first aid tent for the series Saturday and Sunday; and I was supposed to be manning a kayak for the swim portion of the triathlon today, but when your family came in, I called in and said that I couldn't make it. But I'm one of only three doctors that will be on hand for the rest of the weekend, so I can't miss tomorrow; fortunately I don't have to be in until 8AM, today I was supposed to be there at 6AM."

"Clearly this accident has gotten to me if I can't even remember that."

"Perhaps you two should get home then." The pair looks up to see the red-head that is Colleen Robbins standing in the doorway. She pulls away from the door as her sister-in-law gets up, extending a hand to Callie and leads the pair back into the kitchen. April greets them as they enter the room.

"Dr. Robbins! Dr. Torres!"

"Dr. Kepner, has anyone ever told you that it's unnaturally freaky how perky you are when you're about to go in for a 36-hour shift when you're supposed to be going to bed."

"Many times, Dr. Torres." April chuckles softly, quickly schooling her features when Callie glares at her after receiving an elbow to the side from Arizona. She turns to Colleen for her next comment. "Is there anything else that your family may need?"

"I'm certain that we'll be just fine, Dr. Kepner. We'll find anything that we may need as we need it."

"Well, don't be afraid to call if you need something that you can't find."

"Certainly." Arizona knows that Colleen won't call on any of the houseguests if they happen to need something, but allows April to think otherwise, knowing she'll be delayed further otherwise.

* * *

Turning the corner to their apartment, Callie bumps into Arizona when the blonde stops short at the sight outside their apartment. Callie looks past her to the person standing outside their apartment chatting with Mark and Lexie. The look in her best friend's eye is familiar to the ortho surgeon – despite his girlfriend standing right beside him – and she steps in to stop whatever thoughts he may be having.

"Stop right there." The trio ends their conversation and turns toward the pair. The young woman with the pair of doctors grins broadly and moves towards Callie, embracing her warmly.

"Stop what, exactly, Torres?" Mark questions.

"Whatever illicit thoughts you may be having towards my baby sister."

"Uh, baby sister? You're Little Torres?"

"_Little Torres_, exactly what do you mean by Little Torres?"

"Torres," Mark motions towards Callie, "Little Torres," he motions towards Aria. "It's how I tell the siblings apart."

"So what do you call Derek's sisters?" Arizona steps in.

"By their names; you've only met Amy, but trust me, she's the least scary of the four, and you don't want to anger them further by addressing them by nicknames."

"Right, well trust _me_, you don't want to go about addressing me by a nickname either. The name is Aria, not Little Torres, so how about you never find out how scary I can be when you address me by a nickname."

"Come on, Aria," Callie opens her apartment door, pulling her sister in after her. "Good night, you two. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Torres."

"Good night, Callie."

* * *

"So that's Mark, huh? I gotta say, Cal, I don't really see it."

"See what?" Callie's tone lets Arizona know that she's hesitant to really know what her sister means, but can't help but ask.

"See what you saw in him; why you slept with him. I mean, Arizona here is _way_ hotter."

"Thank you!" Arizona grins broadly at Aria's comment, turning towards her girlfriend with a smirk to await her comment.

"That's easy; Mark was Mr. Perfect for the Moment, while Arizona is Ms. Perfect for Always and Forever. At the moment, he was available, but now… now I totally agree with you."

Aria chuckles when Arizona approaches to kiss Callie. "Good answer." She follows up with a lingering kiss that is only interrupted by Aria not so subtly clearing her throat.

"Well, _that_ wasn't at all embarrassing." She accepts the glass of wine Callie offers before taking a seat on the couch.

"Shut it, kid; and tell me how you did today, I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to cheer you on."

"No worries, Mama and Papa told me about what's going on with Arizona's family, that's far more important than cheering me across the finish line for my thousandth triathlon. And I did pretty well: 7:06, 35:12, and 17:40 with 35 total seconds in transition; I took first in my division and third overall."

"Congratulations," she tips her bottle to her sister in toast, taking a sip after Aria returns the salute. Arizona simply looks between the two in confusion.

"I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds impressive, so I'll toast to you as well." The sisters laugh before Aria sits forward to explain.

"I completed the quarter mile swim in seven minutes and six seconds, the 15 mile cycling portion in 35 minutes and 12 seconds, and the 3 mile run in 17 minutes and 40 seconds; transition – the time between each event, where I shuck my swim gear, don my cycling gear and later shuck my cycling gear and don my running gear – time totaled 35 seconds."

"I'm guessing that's impressive? Because 35 seconds sounds impressive."

"Eh, it's alright, my personal best is 27.35."

"Still sounds impressive. So what will you be doing tomorrow to recover?"

"I'll be working the post-race for the half marathon."

"What?" Clearly the blonde expected something along the lines of 'sleeping 'till noon then hydrating' over the younger Torres's given answer.

"I'm a licensed masseuse, so I'll be working that tent after the race."

"Clearly you have no idea what it means to relax."

"Not really, I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Alright, however, for those of us that don't live by that mentality, I need to get some rest, especially if I'm going to be wrangling six kids tomorrow."

"Uh, you mean three, right?"

"No, I mean six. You should be thankful that you won't be seeing Brandon and the twins once they've gotten a good night's rest… they're worse than Sarah and Kate. And once Emma wakes up? Then I'll be wrangling seven kids." Aria stands when Callie and Arizona do, accepting the hug and kiss from the blonde. "It was good to meet you, Aria, if Calliope doesn't offer, you're welcome to stay here tonight."

"Thank you," Aria takes her seat again, smiling at her sister as her gaze follows the blonde into their bedroom, allowing her a moment before bringing her attention back to the present. "So… Calliope…"

"Not a word, Aria, unless you'd like me to start calling you by _your_ given name."

"I'm merely curious as to why you allow her to refer to you by your given name."

"I like it coming from her; and from her, it's said with sincerity, not the teasing of the cousins or the expected obedience of Papa."

"Fair enough. I like her."

"Me too. And I will follow her lead now, because I have to report to the medical tent at 8AM."

"Yeah, me too. Is it cool if I crash here? I brought my stuff for tomorrow just in case, it's in the car."

"Yeah, there should be towels out in the bathroom."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Family of Honor

Summary: Arizona's family comes to the hospital for a visit.

Disclaimer: Would I be writing here if I actually owned them? Not mine, sadly never will be.

Sorry for the delay, folks. But I have got the cutest nieces in the world, and I've had the pleasure of spending the last two weeks with them, and will get to spend the next week with them. There will be more to come, but it's slow going.

_

* * *

_

"I like her."

_"Me too. And I will follow her lead now, because I have to report to the medical tent at 8AM."_

_"Yeah, me too. Is it cool if I crash here? I brought my stuff for tomorrow just in case, it's in the car."_

_"Yeah, there should be towels out in the bathroom. And I'll leave the door open for when you return."_

* * *

"Good morning!" Aria beams at Arizona as she stumbles into the kitchen the following morning. Arizona merely smiles before accepting the cup of coffee that Callie extends to her, already made to her specifications.

"What are you doing up so early?" Callie questions her girlfriend while turning back to the bacon sizzling on the stove.

"I rolled over and encountered a cold, empty bed and couldn't fall back asleep."

"Awwww!" Aria smirks at her sister in retaliation to the towel smack to the rear at her comment. "Come on, you two are just so cute!"

"One more comment like that about my girlfriend and I'd think that you were switching teams, Aria." Callie pats the bacon dry of oil before turning to get started on the toast, moving around Aria, who's scrambling the eggs.

"While I had – and enjoyed – my collegiate lesbian fling, I do believe I'll stick to penises, Cal." The older Torres merely smirks, having heard the story of the younger Torres' fling during her semester abroad in London. All the while, Arizona sits at the bar, watching the two siblings; while there may be two, the pair act just the same as she and her five siblings do.

"We need to see about you two and your parents coming to Thanksgiving this year." The siblings stop their bickering to stare at the blonde, waiting for the punch line.

"Excuse me?" Callie recovers from her shock, continuing to butter the toast that she'd dropped at Arizona's comment.

"Well, you said that your parents are in town this weekend, right? So it wouldn't be like they'd be meeting for the first time – well, maybe it would be in the case of my father, unless your parents plan to stay out through the better part of the week. So all of you should join us for Thanksgiving."

"The whole 'first meeting' thing isn't why I'm doubtful. Isn't Thanksgiving this big thing at your grandparent's place in New York?"

"Yes, it is, and I know that it's only two weeks away, but it's not like we don't have the time, we'll just likely have to work through Christmas or New Years to make up for it. If you guys want to, that is. And if you, Aria, and your parents already have plans that's fine, but I'd still like for you to come, Calliope."

"Sounds like fun." Callie smiles, while placing a plate of eggs, bacon and toast in front of the blonde, moving to the fridge to get the juice. Aria has been silent throughout the exchange, just smiling at the pair. She quietly says something in Spanish as Callie passes her by that causes Callie to grin broadly, sticking out her tongue at her sister, playfully.

"So," Arizona quickly changes the subject before the siblings can take their playful fight any farther. "What time do you two have to report for duty?"

"Eight, for me," Callie takes her seat by Arizona, "but Aria doesn't have to be there until ten, right?"

"Technically, but I'll go in with you. I'll get me a good spot and I can chat with the others, get some networking in."

"How much networking can you really do? Don't you work with dancers?"

"Yes, but I worked with the football and soccer teams in college, and I did some occasional work with the runners in school, since that is a traditional punishment for all sports. Plus being a runner myself, I'm familiar with the community. And it never hurts to have some back-ups or friends in other areas. I mean, my current job is a dream come true; it's the kind of job that you hope to get ten years after graduation, and the ink wasn't even dry on my diploma when I got the offer. And I know to never take that for granted. So even though I kick ass at what I do, I also know that at any point I could lose my job to someone much older and with much more experience."

"Not so long as Daddy keeps making those six-figure donations to the company, you won't."

"I made it perfectly clear to my bosses when I first heard of one of Daddy's donations that I wanted to be judged on my merits not based on how much he could donate to the company. So far they've respected that."

"Good for you."

"Thank you, now finish up, I want to scope out the perfect spot at the finish line."

* * *

"Hey," Arizona turns at the greeting to see that it was delivered by her sister-in-law, Colleen.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"I did, and I was worshipped by all who live at that house when they walked in to the smell of breakfast waiting for them. One guy barely mumbled out a thank you before he grabbed a stack of pancakes and had them gone before the next batch was done."

"That was probably Alex, he means well, but we're still breaking him of his gruff nature."

"Oh, he wasn't so bad; he at least waited until the others got their first serving before diving into his second helping. And he helped with the dishes before heading off to sleep. That's the guy that you're grooming for a peds fellowship?"

"Yup, he might be a bit gruff, but he's great with kids, and he'll always go the extra mile to help save one."

"I remember you telling me about the teen dancer and the girl with the tumor in her throat."

"Wait, you mean that you didn't watch the show? I'm hurt." She smiles unnecessarily to let Colleen know that she's joking.

"Sorry, sweet heart but I was 12 hours into a 72 hour man hunt when that show came on. But I TiVo'd it and Kate and I watched it together. We both agreed that your Chief of Surgery is a self-centered douche, just so you know." The pair gets onto an elevator, which is thankfully empty, before continuing on with their conversation.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, the guy purposely paged you into his office when the film crew would be there to announce you receiving the Carter-Madison, and he went on to extol the virtues of the hospital on film. Seriously, if this hospital had an ass, his lips would be surgically attached to it." The pair shares a quick laugh while Arizona acquiesces to her comments. "Speaking of the grant, who did you get to take over for you? We were all shocked when we heard that you passed on it."

"I didn't pass on it, I still have to make trips out to Malawi every three months, so it's still in my name, it's just that credit will be going to Sarah as well. Sarah Wharton." Arizona elaborates on the name when Colleen looks confused.

"That name sounds familiar." The pair exit at the ICU floor and head towards the family's group of rooms; it's easy to spot as there is a mass of Navy and Marine personnel in uniform standing around outside them.

"We were residents at Hopkins together; she accepted a fellowship at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London."

"And her bosses were okay with her taking the time off to go to Malawi for three years?"

"Wasn't difficult. She mentioned when we spoke last spring that she'd been passed over for a Consultant – Attending – position and was trying to find some new work, but wasn't having much luck. When I decided to pass on the trip, she was the first person that I called."

"And no regrets? The Carter-Madison has been your dream for as long as I've known you, and that's a long time."

"I remember, you were the only person who didn't find me a freak for being a fifteen year old senior in high school."

"Only because I was in the same boat, sort of." The pair thinks back individually to the time when they first met, Arizona finally being allowed to attend a real school, because her father was finally going to be stationed in one place for more than a year; Colleen being the daughter of two prominent researchers who insisted on summer school and college programs, resulting in her being several years ahead of her peers academically. The two had been thick as thieves from the moment they'd met.

"Callie's my dream now," Arizona breaks them out of their musings. "I never thought that I'd meet someone who would challenge my every world view and make me change my mind on every decision I'd ever made for my life."

"Like kids," Colleen had been the only person that knew the total truth behind the story of her and Callie's break up and make up. Everyone else was simply told that they'd worked out their differences and were working towards their future.

"Like kids." Colleen, seeing that Arizona wanted to say more, grabbed the smaller woman's arm and dragged her into a nearby room that turned out to be a – fortunately empty – on call room.

"Spill, I know you weren't telling me everything that day."

"I was so mad at her when that day began. But during the course of the day… when I realized that we wouldn't be able to get Ruby to an OR and I realized that we'd have to conduct the surgery in an exam room on an epidural… She was so calm during the whole thing. Even when Gary Clark came up to the Peds ward, and I freaked out, she kept calm. And when it was all over, when we got Ruby onto that ambulance bound for Seattle Presbyterian… I don't know what I expected to hear her say, but it wasn't that she didn't want kids if the choice came down to me or kids."

"And your response?"

"Wasn't what I planned on saying, but in that moment after I spoke, I realized the precise truth in my words, if I didn't have Calliope in my life, then I didn't want kids; but to be with her, I couldn't imagine have kids with anyone but her."

"I just want to make certain that you're not considering kids just to make her happy. That's no basis in which to bring a child into this world. Look at Kate."

"I know, but this isn't exactly like your situation with Kate. We can't exactly bring kids into the world accidentally. And despite how you felt when you first found out that you were pregnant, you're over the moon now; Kate's the best thing to happen to you. And I know that Danny felt the same way before he died. Even if he did agree to marry you because it would make you happy, that wasn't the sole reason."

"I know, your brother was the most honorable man on the planet. If I hadn't wanted to keep Kate, he would have stood right by me throughout whatever decision I made."

"Personally I'm thankful that you chose the path that you did."

"Why is that?"

"Well, think back 13 years. I was slowly killing myself with getting zero sleep, thanks to the hours of a surgical internship, Danny was preparing for the bar exam, Emerson was getting into trouble taking apart the neighbor's motorcycle, and Brandon was getting into trouble sneaking into the bedroom of the General's youngest daughter," the pair shares a quick laugh, "and James and Lea had just announced that they intended to attend the Naval Academy. Now let's face it, the trouble those two got into alone with arguing over who was likely to get the better nomination was enough to distract mom, but you announcing that you were pregnant took the cake. Even if it wasn't really… well, you know…" Colleen nods quickly in acquiescence. "My point is, you took the burden off of everyone else's troubles, because you gave mom a wedding to plan and a baby to prepare for. Otherwise, mom would have spent her weekends torn between driving to Baltimore to cook for and take care of me, and driving to Connecticut to cry over her baby boy being one step closer to going off to war."

"Yeah, but she'd still be holding my hand through adoption or abortion, whichever path I chose."

"Thereby taking the pressure off of me, once again." The pair shares a laugh that is broken by a sharp knock on the door, followed by the voice of Lea.

"I'm well aware of what on-call rooms are for, so you ladies had better get decent and get out here before the stories start circulating to what you were doing in there with a woman that's not your girlfriend, Z." The two share a glance before shaking their heads with laughter.

"I begged my mom for a puppy, but she just had to give me a baby sister instead."

"Because I'm awesome, Z," Lea once again shouts through the door, "and you know without me your life would be boring."

"Let's go, before she starts sharing embarrassing moments from your teenage years." Colleen whispers, linking her arm through the blonde's before opening the door to find a grinning blonde standing on the other side.

"Mom's awake, she's asking all kids that are capable of making their way into her room to do so, so that she may determine that we all really are alright. And then when she's done with that, she's demanded transportation to take her to see Emma and Jacob and Dad. So let's go!" Lea links her arm with Arizona's free one, leading the pair off to Katherine Robbins' room. Outside the door, Arizona stops, holding Colleen back, while ushering Lea into the room. The look on the elder Robbins' face stops the younger blonde from commenting.

"Speaking of Kate, I haven't told Callie yet…" She lets the question remain unspoken, knowing that Colleen knows what she's asking.

"You know my terms, Z. If you're that certain about her, then go ahead."

"Thank you." The pair moves on, through the crowd to greet the newly wakened Katherine Robbins.

* * *

So, here's where you come in! What would you like to see? Would you like for me to stop this story when the family is discharged? Or would you like for me to continue on to Thanksgiving weekend?


End file.
